Mini-V and WDW in Dec.

[mini-V]

Just to give a synopsis of what has happened thus far:
We left London 2 hours late, and arrived 9 hours and 9 minutes later. To my dismay, the UK and the US are no closer now than they were last April.

Shopping constituted the majority of day 1. We hit Walmart and the Buena Vista Outlet Mall hard and heavy. The Disney Character Store in BVO was having a tent sale. It reminded me of the sale I attended in Celebration last Spring, but about 1/4 as much from which to choose. I still managed to spend about $20.00 dollars before heading to the main store.

Day 2 was our evening at the home of THE most impressive collection of Disney memorabilia that I've ever seen. Not only was it ceiling to floor of plaques, pictures, prints, signs and postal stamps, but there were in excess of 15 big figs to admire. Every item was of extremely high quality and most were rare collector pieces. I would wander from room to room with my mouth hanging around my knees only to find something else that would cause me to utter another, "oh my!"

Day 3 was our trip to visit friends who have retired here. A great day, but not Disney related.

Last night was day 4. We spent our evening at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We wore slacks and brought jackets or sweatshirts, but definitely never needed them. I wore my Santa hat with Mickey ears, but I definitely didn't need that either. We've never visited the parks in December when the weather has been this warm. This is why people come to FL in December, I guess. MVMCP was sold out last night so initially the crowds were heavier than we've experienced in the past. There was a long wait just to park, but by the end of the 1st parade, the crowds were thinning, and after the fireworks, the crowds were much lighter as well.
We arrived a bit later than planned due to a weather related delay of our friend's plane. I voted to head to Adventureland and go to POTC. We walked right on, but after we got off POTC, we got barricaded into the area by the start of the parade. We walked into Woody's Review and who is standing in the center of the room just waiting my arrival? Bullseye! DH choked on his job as photographer, but I'm hoping that our friends have a photo of me with Bullseye. DH also missed a photo op of me dancing with Bullseye. We gobbled down a cookie and hot chocolate while we waited for the parade to finish. I got to spend quality time checking out the photos on the walls in that restaurant. (Good things come of being kept in one place with few people around you.) Our goal was to head to HM after the parade. Although we never heard the announcement, it seems that EVERYONE else in Frontierland was encouraged to do the same. Once we arrived at the entrance to HM, we opted to move on to Fantasyland and come back later.
One of our group had not seen Mickey's Philharmagic so we took the opportunity to see Disney music at it's best. I do have a photo of us trying on our opera glasses before entering the theater. (No, we were stationary - safety first.) Everyone enjoyed it as usual.
Since one of our guests is going to have a baby (on my birthday no less - if all goes as scheduled), we had to skip Space Mountain this trip, but we rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and the TTA. I had my highest score ever - 122200 (OK, so most little kids do better than that), but I had the highest score for the group. Playing against one person that was bone tired from working all day, and two who were exhausted from traveling all day helps one's odds of being the top dog.
We watched the fireworks from the bridge near Cosmic Rays. Not a particularly good spot for seeing fireworks over the castle, but we did get to see the fireworks. By this time, it was time to head to our spot for the 10:30 parade.
We were right behind a family of 5 and it finally sinks in that THEY ARE STAYING IN THE CASTLE SUITE AFTER THE PARADE!!!! They are amazingly calm for a family who is headed for the chance of a lifetime. I brazenly asked how they were picked. They were coming out of POTC and were pulled aside by the Dream Team. I begged them to come to our forum and post their thoughts of their experience. I can only hope that they do.
The parade was really, really good. Some of the favorites are back from past years, and there are a few changes here and there.
After the parade, we made our way to the HM. The lines were out to the end of the cue, but moved quickly. DD said we'd stay for 5 min. and see where we were. Thankfully, (so I didn't have to have a meltdown) we were nearly to the door in the alloted time. HM is super. I love the new sound system; it's much clearer than before. The additions are well done.
By this time, our driver is firing on only one piston, so we had to leave for home, but it was a great night.
I'll try to get a few pics posted soon. The problem of going to MK with someone who's seen the Celebrate the Season Show and we didn't have small children with us to go to the dance parties (at least to check them out) we didn't get to see some of the little events taking place. The castle, by the way, is even better in person. I didn't get to see the "lighting", so unless we get back there again this trip, I'll have to be content with Youtube video.

[Cinderella2]

I can't wait to see pictures Virginia!
And what's the address again of that house you visited? What's the security system look like?

[mini-V]

If I knew either of those, I'd be back there on my own long before the rest of you could get here.

[DisneyDreamer13]

Virginia, it really sounds like you're missing London, am i right ?!?!

[GIOny]

I can't wait to see pictures Virginia!
And what's the address again of that house you visited? What's the security system look like?

great report mini-v, was that the house you were staying in or just visiting? It wasn't a rental was it? Are the sparklies on the castle every night or just the party nights? That was quick thinking to ask the people who won the night in the castle to post their experience on here, I hope they do. Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel gave a tour of it on her show last night. It was beautiful

[disneydreamer98]

Sounds like you are having a wonderful time Virgina!! I hope the family who won the night at Cindy's Castle does come here to post their story! That would be great!

[Cinderella2]

Don't worry people. After I stay there I promise I will post tons of pics for you to drool over!

[mini-V]

Don't worry people. After I stay there I promise I will post tons of pics for you to drool over!

In your dreams...but I completely hope that you do.

great report mini-v, was that the house you were staying in or just visiting? It wasn't a rental was it? Are the sparklies on the castle every night or just the party nights? That was quick thinking to ask the people who won the night in the castle to post their experience on here, I hope they do. Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel gave a tour of it on her show last night. It was beautiful

I am fairly certain that the lights are on every night, but they aren't advertising it as such since they would like to entice people to MVMCP. The Disney collection was in the home of someone with whom my dd works. We were just there for a Christmas party.

Virginia, it really sounds like you're missing London, am i right ?!?!

Oh yeah. especially the weather.

[mini-V]

I don't have time to get a full report out tonight, but we had a fantastic day at Animal Kingdom and then a stop over at the Floridian to let our guests see the decorations. It started to rain as we approached the gates of AK, but by the time we parked, and walked to the turnstiles, we could remove our ponchos. The big highlight was having dinner at the new Yak and Yeti and walking out of the park after it closed - since the restaurant stays open a bit after the park.

[Tinker Bell]

Don't forget to include what you had, where you sat and how you liked Yak and Yeti in your report!

[lilo88]

Sounds great so far, can't wait to see some more of the report V

[trickster]

So far so good, V!!

I am also looking forward to seeing some photos!!!


On your way back to the UK, could you also slip some of that Disney Memorabilia in your luggage for me?!!!

[mini-V]

Doesn't the song go, "What a difference a day makes" ? My oh oh my did we have a front come through. On Friday night I was dressed in a t-shirt, shorts and only wore my Mickey Santa hat because I wanted to feel festive. Last night we attended the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. I would have worn a long sleeved shirt under my fleece, but I didn't remember having one here till very late last night. I was grateful to have my Santa hat, unlike wearing it for "looks". Epcot and Studios were far emptier than they probably would have been. The crew on the boats running between Epcot and Studios said that they took a lot of guests home early due to the cold. It was just cooler early in the day, but the temp just kept dropping as the day progressed. I saw a lot of people trying to tough out the cold with fleece blankets.

DD arranged for a dinner package for the CP. We had dinner at San Angel in the Mexican Pavilion. I don't usually have an appetizer, entrée and dessert, but that's what comes with the package. I highly recommend the corn chowder soup. My flour tacos with beef were a little hotter than I like, but I like things really really mild. I liked my rice pudding for dessert, but I ate barely half of it. I didn't pace my eating well once I started the soup.

The CP was very good. Lou mentioned it's still a bit light outside to get the full effect of the lighting and I concur. Andie MacDowell was the reader. She was good, but I think Gary Sinese was better.

From Epcot we took the boat to Studios to view the Osborne Spectacle of Lights. Fabulous! Plan to stay for a bit since they play for a couple of minutes, then stay lit while more music plays, and then dance again with a different piece of music. DH was impressed before they danced. I said, "Wait. It gets better."

I will say that it's not a quick trip between Epcot and Studios. The boats run every 20 minutes and we had to wait for a second boat when leaving Studios. It was nice to see the lights and decorations around the Yacht Club, and Swan and Dolphin. I've never been that close to any of those hotels.

We got back to Epcot to pick up the car, and drove our friends to the AKL for their stay. The hotel was beautifully decorated, but probably not as grandiose as the GF, for example.

To give more details to our dinner at the Yak and Yeti:
I was a bit disappointed that our waiter did not give us any story while seating us or taking our orders. We sat in what is considered the main dining room. The stairway to the 2nd floor was just across from us, and the walkway to the rest rooms was close by. There is a beautiful piece of artwork at the bottom of the stairs. The railing to the 2nd floor was actually made in Tibet, disassembled, and brought to WDW. I ate the beef with broccoli entrée. I would have ordered the crispy chicken, but dh was having that so I opted to get something different so I could sample. The beef was very heavy with soy sauce, and should I go back, I'll definitely go for the crispy chicken. THAT was very tasty. Other items that were ordered by our party were the chicken and shrimp and the sweet and sour pork. Both dishes were acknowledged as being very good. We shared an order of fried wantons with cheese and ice cream. I liked the ice cream, but I give the friend wantons an OK. The fun part of the evening was walking out of the park since the restaurant stays open for about an hour after the park closes. You MUST begin eating by 5:30, however. Everything was quiet and there were only a few other people still around. Of course there were Cm's all along the way to make sure you moved along AND in the right direction.

We did get to see Nemo the Musical before having dinner. Great show! We attended the last show for the day, and the park was already beginning to thin out. We walked right in, about 20 minutes before the show started. Funny thing is, we sat in nearly the same spot I did last Spring when I waited an hour outside to make sure I got in to the performance.

Sorry that I won't be able to post pictures till I return to London, but the suspense....actually the suspense will probably be better than the pictures themselves.
I have my leather jacket out to wear today. What a difference in the weather! (It is supposed to warm-up again.)

[mini-V]

So far so good, V!!
I am also looking forward to seeing some photos!!! On your way back to the UK, could you also slip some of that Disney Memorabilia in your luggage for me?!!!

If you want to see it, you'll have to come to MY house. lol (In my dreams!) I just wish I could adequately describe even some of his collection. It still gives me goose bumps to see it in my mind.

[Tinker Bell]

I will say that it's not a quick trip between Epcot and Studios. The boats run every 20 minutes and we had to wait for a second boat when leaving Studios. It was nice to see the lights and decorations around the Yacht Club, and Swan and Dolphin. I've never been that close to any of those hotels.

We got back to Epcot to pick up the car, and drove our friends to the AKL for their stay. The hotel was beautifully decorated, but probably not as grandiose as the GF, for example.

I agree about the boat, it's a lovely ride but you better not be in a hurry!

I thought the AKL was beautiful at night! Didn't see the GF this time but I am guessing it looks the same as last year?

Sorry to hear you didn't get a storyline at the Yak, maybe after a few months the staff will be more comfortable and will be able to stay in character a little more.